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Marie-Augustine Laurène de Rochechouart de Mortemart
Marie-Augustine Laurène de Blois de Penthièvre (20th July 1710 - Present) is a Grandelumièrian noblewoman and the daughter of Henri César de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquis de Montpipeau and Marie-Gabrielle Hortense de Choiseul, Marquise de Montpipeau. Upon her marriage to Chretien de Penthievre, she became authorized to use the style of Madame la Princesse, as the wife of the premier prince du sang. '' Renowned for her favor and friendship with the Queen-Empress Consort, Catherine d'Espagne, she holds considerable influence throughout the court as the Empress' acknowledged favorite. This favor concluded in her being appointed to the prestigious post of ''Surintendant de la Maison de l'Impératrice, ''the highest rank a noblewoman could achieve at Argenteuil. Born in 1710 at L'hôtel de Vivonne, Marie-Augustine Laurène de Blois de Penthièvre' was a member of the illustrious and ancient Mortemart family via birth. The Rochechouart-Mortemart of Lussac in Poitou were of ancient lineage and proud of it, the two grand families having been joined together by marriage in the thirteenth century. Laurène had been adopted, like her extensive brood of sisters (known as "Les Mortemarette") and lesser numbered brothers, by the acclaimed and powerful '''Cardinal Mortemart. Like her extensive Mortemart relations, Laurène was known as the most stunning and conceivably the most beautiful woman in all. As time passed and attractiveness began to mature, her sharpness and shrewd tongue never faltered. She was the essence of what it was to be a Mortemart. Biography Birth Marie-Augustine Laurène de Rochechouart de Mortemart and her twin Louis-Paul Jules were born on the 20th of July in 1710, to the Marquis and Marquise de Montpipeau. Laurène, or more formally at the time of her brith, Mademoiselle de Mortemart, possessed the blood of the two oldest noble families in Grandelumière through her parents. Early Childhood Laurène's early childhood mostly consisted of her familial troubles involving her father, Monsieur le Marquis de Montpipeau. Monsieur de Montpipeau kept a variety of mistresses who were infamous on the Parisian social scene. Often they were a married woman well past their prime, but the Marquis fell head over heels for them and lived with them, quite openly. They were mainly the hostess of successful salons and although they weren’t young anymore, they had many admirers to due to their lovely nature and intelligence. Spending most of his pension on these women, it left his 10 legitimate children almost penniless. Laurène wasn't aware that this was irregular behavior, however, she nonetheless found it rather distasteful, considering he was openly dissolute. Already concerned with her image at court, she considered his behavior a great embarrassment. Educated at her home privately by Dame Marie Adelaide de Le Monteil, she was tutored in the subjects of, needlework, dancing, writing, reading, some geography, and history. This private education was due to the spending of her father and also his lack of care, as otherwise she most likely would have been sent to be educated at a convent. Laurène was also relatively angered by the fact that she had to be educated privately, since she was aware that it was not fitting for someone of her status. Upon her visits with her mother, Madame de Montpipeau, with who she was quite close, this was one of the topics she discussed with her. However, the annually pregnant Madame de Montpipeau was left powerless with her lack of money, and was not able to do anything. Rather friendly with her mother for the standards of the day, they'd often write and speak of more intimate matters. Henri César de Rochechouart de Mortemart passed away in 1719 from venereal disease, leaving his widow destitute with a brood of unmarried children. Madame de Montpipeau, suddenly discovering a vocation to take the veil, placed her children into the care of Louis Chrétien Hercules de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Archevêque de Paris, her brother-in-law. Cardinal de Mortemart soon had the children brought to Paris and announced that Laurène would be sent to L'Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, to finish her education. Cardinal de Mortemart, who had a significant amount of favor and influence with the Queen-Empress, Marie IV, found the large expenses no trouble at all. Childhood At L'Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Laurène and her sisters became acquainted with their first cousin, Isabeau Éléonore Irène Diane de Clermont-Tonnerre, Mademoiselle de Clermont. This in itself was the start of a grand friendship which would last between both girls long into their adulthood. Both Laurène and Diane came to be incredibly proud of their Rochechouart de Mortemart lineage (Diane's being through her mother, Claudine de Rochechouart de Mortemart). Both were haughty, bitter, witty, sharp, domineering, and most importantly, excessively beautiful; though everyone agreed that Laurène was the more attractive of the pair. It was during this this time that Laurène came into her own. In his memoirs, Cardinal de Mortemart writes an account of her during this period. He describes her as "...possessing great charm and indisputable fascination. Her hair is light, her complexion brilliant, her eyes dark and vivacious, and her figure plump and rounded." In her education at the abbey, she learned everything necessary to become a grand-dame of the court and how to be equipped with a quick-wit and sharp tongue. Adolescence Taken out of the convent in 1726 at age 16, Laurène made quite the impression at court. All were impressed with her beauty and wit, despite her young age. Presented by her aunt, Louise Claudine de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Comtesse de Roussillon, she quickly acquired a reputation for her looks. Due to her connections with her uncle, who had by now been given the powerful post of Grand Maître de la Maison, she was transferred into the care of Isabelle Adelaide de Grandelumière (née de Rochechouart de Mortemart), "Madame", sister-in-law of Marie IV, as a Fille d'Honneur. While in her care, she quickly learned of the intrigue and going ons of the court, as well as developing her quick wit. One by one, as her various sisters arrived at court, she and her sister Gabrielle, became the leaders of a small clique. The group consisted of various young, vivacious noblemen and women, and was said to have great influence over the court. Meanwhile, due to the their actions stirring up continuous scandal, the eight nieces of the Cardinal de Mortemart were collectively dubbed as Les Mortemarettes ''by the court. Lively, beautiful, and equipped with the renowned ''L'esprit de Mortemart, all the young men flocked to them and their acquaintances. Above all, they all desired Laurène, her bitter temperament aside. This new popularity however, was not without it's downside. Laurène's main rival was her second eldest sister, Marie-Clémence Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart. Gabrielle as well was equipped with the blessing of good looks. Although Laurène was the better looking of the two, (The Comtesse de Polastron even writes in her correspondence that Laurène was "...out of this world beautiful...as if I was looking at an angel of heaven.") Gabrielle was more outgoing and popular than her. This of course, was the start of a terrible rivalry between both sisters, not to mention that Laurène was Cardinal de Mortemart's declared most favored niece (as exemplified when the Cardinal had her depicted as the Roman ideal of victory at Chateau de La Motte), while Gabrielle was his least. The two sisters soon engaged in hair pulling, scratching and vicious name calling. Furthermore, they argued over the matter of being the Grand Dauphin's mistress. Once again, in this Gabrielle won, with her being declared the Dauphin's official mistress by the end of the year. Additionally, as both their circles began to grow, it was obvious that Gabrielle's was the larger and more popular. Laurène's own circle consisted of of course Mademoiselle de Clermont, as well as Françoise Marguerite de La Tour d'Auvergne, Marquise de La Tour du Pin, Marie-Henriette de Polastron, Comtesse d'Andlau, Louise-Marie-Emmanuelle de Tourzel d'Alègre, Marquise de Maillebois, Élisabeth-Louise de Boullongne, Marquise d'Hôpital, Charlotte Alexandrine Sublet d'Hallencourt de Dromesnil, Comtesse de Belzunce, and her future lady-in-waiitng, Marie-Claudine de Vendôme, Mademoiselle de Vendôme. Besides Laurène's own personal circle, she also had a circle which she shared with Gabrielle. This private, inner circle included Marie Isabelle de Penthièvre, Mademoiselle d'Amboise, Louis-Maximilien Frédéric de Rohan, Prince de Soubise, François-Michel Le Tellier, Marquise Le Tellier, Émile-Christine de Penthièvre, Mademoiselle de Penthièvre, Charles-Nicolas Matthieu de Choiseul, Duc de Choiseul, and Mademoiselle de Clermont. With this inner circle, Laurène often engaged in practical jokes upon unliked members of the Imperial Court. On one occasion, Laurène, Diane, and Christine de Penthièvre locked themselves inside the chamber of Monsieur with a spare key. Once inside, they plummeted the sleeping man with snowballs. On another occasion, Laurène and her inner circle replaced all of Monsieur's perfumes with salt and vinegar. Another rival was Mademoiselle (Thérèse d'Orléans). In this rivalry, she was joined by the rest of her sisters. One time, Laurène even spotted Mademoiselle hop footing it in her chemise and loose garments across the Rue d'Honneur after visiting Laurène's own brother, Louis-Baptiste Philippe, Comte de Rochechouart. Furthermore, on Laurène's sister, Raphaëlle's, wedding day to the Prince de Soubise, Mademoiselle proudly boasted to her that she was engaging in "commerce" four times nightly with imperial guards. Laurène, due to her outstanding beauty, had many admirers. Therefore, when choosing her lovers she had the pick of the court. Usually, she chose very discreet and distinguished men. In this as well, Laurène and Gabrielle differed. Laurène openly disapproved of Gabrielle's many open and dissolute love affairs. Moreover, Gabrielle made little to no effort to hide that she was having children with her many lovers. When Gabrielle heavily hinted that the real father of her newest daughter was the Duc de Choiseul and not her husband, Jean-Philippe de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis de Montespan, Laurène simply responded, "Honestly, are any of your bastards his?" In regards to her many admirers, she often rejected their advances, however was captivated by one Andre Philippe, Comte de Mancini, with whom she had allegedly fallen deeply in love with. When Laurène and Philippe sought to hid their relationship from others, Laurène introduced Philippe to one Mademoiselle de Brette, a fellow Fille d'Honneur. This was said to have been done so Monsieur de Mancini could claim that his attendance upon Madame and her ladies was based on his affection for Mademoiselle de Brette and not Laurène. However, this soon backfired, as the Comte de Mancini fell in love with Mademoiselle de Brette. Laurène, realizing the situation she had brought upon herself, used the influence of her uncle to have Mademoiselle de Brette dismissed from court. Within no time, the Comte was back in her bed. Another affair was rumored to have been with Louis Emmanuel de Grandelumiere, King-Emperor Consort. Nevertheless, this was dismissed as mindless court gossip as the pious Consort was said to have never engaged in an affair. Marriage In early 1734, Cardinal de Mortemart finally arranged a marriage for his beautiful niece. Laurène, was to be wed to Louis Chrétien de Blois de Penthièvre, Prince de Carignan, Monsieur le Duc, and future Monsieur le Prince. To overcome resistance to this advantageous marriage, she was granted a large dowry of 1,000,000 livres. Due to the large age gap between the couple (about 10 years), Laurène reportedly dominated her husband, and influenced all his decisions. On their wedding night, after the 23 year old Laurène "deflowered" her 14 year old groom, her mother-in-law, Marie-Eloise Seraphine, Madame la Princesse, remarked that she had not expected to find "innocence among the loves of kings" ''(Referencing her rumored affair with the King-Emperor Consort). Laurène had a very difficult relationship with her new family. Finding them all rather blasé and dull, the only one who ''"did not have a stone for a head" ''(in the words of Laurène) was Monsieur le Prince, Jean Fernand. Although one wouldn't call them friends, she found him much more jovial than his wife. In regards to her husband, Laurène was noticed to have been overly reserved with him due to her upbringing and own personality, however she understood her duties as a wife and a woman and was soon able to adjust. Though she did not consider her husband a friend, they were not argumentative either, as her husband usually went along with her opinions and decisions. Mostly however, she found him extremely boring. Laurène felt no love for Monsieur le Duc, though she did feel grateful for having a reasonable husband, as opposed to her mother. The Cardinal de Mortemart wrote in his correspondence regarding Monsieur le Duc and Madame la Duchesse that ''"He is pleasant to her and she is pleasant to him, though nothing further." With her new status as a princesse du sang and a married woman, her uncle saw it that she was transferred into the household of Marie IV as a Dame du Palais. Subsequently, within a year Laurène became pregnant and gave birth to her first child, a son, Louis Alexandre Chrétien, Prince de Lamballe, in 1734. This quickness was attributed to the famous Mortemart fertility. Over the next decade, Laurène saw her family rise to prominence with several advantageous marriages. Her sisters respectively became; Duchesse d'Anjou, Marquise de Montespan, Duchesse de Bouillon, Marquise de Louvois, and Duchesse de Rohan. Her brother, Jules, married her rival, Thérèse d'Orléans. Due to her troublesome and licentious nature, Thérèse brought the house a large dowry of 2,000,000 livres. With this, the Mortemarts acquired various connections and prestigious posts. Madame de Boitron wrote to her sister, Madame la Comtesse de Souvré, that "...one cannot even pass La Salle des Miroirs without seeing one of those ghastly, social climbing Mortemarts crawling through!" '' '''Ten Years War' The Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth was subject to an invasive occupation in 1737 by Friedrich Wilhelm Hohenzollern II. The Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski w Warszawie) and the Pałac Koniecpolskich was seized. Following the occupation Warsaw, Prussian forces marched into Silesia then into Saxony, where the Elector Augustus III defended Dresden. After the succession of devastating blows, Marie IV did not hesitate to declare war upon her Lutheran enemy, Friedrich Wilhelm Hohenzollern II. Elector Augustus III was defeated at the Battle of Dresden. He and the entire Royal Family were placed under arrest in the Dresdner Residenzschloss. Marie IV announced that the court was to travel to the Grandelumierian border to settle at Fort Louis le Grande in Strasbourg. Henceforth, Laurène travelled with the rest of her family to the border and settled in the Village of Röschwoog with her youngest sister, Marie-Pauline Raphaëlle, Duchesse de Rohan. While there, Laurène received news that Gabrielle had passed from an attack from colic, ending their rivalry. Laurène, although saddened by the news of the death of her sister, knew that right now was no time to mourn. Consequently, while her sister Raphaëlle met with ambassadors and used her political talents, Laurène pitched in with more menial tasks, such as wrapping bandages and raising moral. As all the Mortemarettes had the utmost contempt for all things German, and especially Prussian, Laurène was quite opinionated on the war. In 1745, when the second-in-line to the throne, Monseigneur le Duc de Valois, was betrothed and married to Maria Anna Sophie Sabina Angela Franziska Xaveria, Prinzessin von Polen und Sachsen, Laurène considered her "highly unsuitable and incompetent". '' This was due to the Princess' status as an exile and her German blood, she being a princess of Saxony and Poland. In fact, this view was shared by a majority of the court, including the Mortemarettes, as they considered the Wettins ''"weak" and "pathetic". The Treaty of Strasbourg was signed in 1747 by all foreign powers who took an active part in the bloodshed. Laurène, though not pleased with the idea of peace with Protestants, accepted the consultation of acquiring territory in the North and the liberation of Augustus III. She would accompany Marie IV when departing back for Paris after the negotiation of peace was reached. Return to Peace Upon Laurène's return to court, she soon busied herself with her duties as a Dame du Palais to Marie IV and the upbringing of her children. By now, she had several surviving children: Louis Alexandre Chrétien, Prince de Lamballe, Louis Charles Emmanuel Marie, Duc de Berry, Anne Marie, Mademoiselle d'Amboise, Anne Clémentine, Mademoiselle de Chartres, Louis Michael, Duc de Lorraine, and Anne Thérèse, Mademoiselle de Lorraine. Concerning her children, Laurène had extremely high expectations of them, just as the Cardinal de Mortemart had of her. As expected for the time, Laurène was very distant from her children and did not often contact them. While her sons were kept at Chateau de Bizy, she had her daughters sent to L'Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, to install a Mortemart backbone in them. In 1758, her in-laws passed which led to her and her husband assuming the titles of Monsieur le Prince and Madame la Princesse respectively. Shortly afterward, Marie IV died from blood poisoning. The passing of Marie IV saw the waining of the influence and popularity of Laurène and her sisters. As time wore on, Laurène and the rest of the Mortemarettes soon recognized this and began a passionate crusade against the newer generations. Consequently, they could be seen defending their lineage and history, and as a result, became figures representing the old court. Furthermore, their ideals and opinions began to change as well. After most of the Mortemarettes finished bearing their children, their taste for sex significantly decreased. Additionally, while they initially were unpious, many reaffirmed their faith in the church and began to look down on the new libertine courtiers. Moreover, while the Mortemarettes originally held liberal political opinions, they soon turned on that as well and became increasingly conservative. Laurène, who was the head of all her sisters, headed these changes. In early 1758, tragedy struck as the Cardinal de Mortemart passed. As his favorite niece, the Cardinal left Laurène a cash beneficiary of 5,000,000 livres, his collection of pearl jewels, the Pavillon du Roi, his astronomical clock, perfumery bottles, and his mother-of-pearl and diamond pocket watch. As she had a close relationship with the Cardinal and held high respect for him, his way of life, his morals, his opinions and decisions, which she understood and noticed overtime were all in favour of his family, the Cardinal's death took a great toll on Laurène, as it did the rest of his large family. She spent her time grieving privately in her chambers, writing on her grief in attempt to put herself at ease, sending letters to close friends, and organising any arrangements needed. Heavily influenced by his departure, Laurène felt a need to represent the Cardinal the best she could, as she was certain she was indebted to him after all that he had done for her in his time. Laurène was also rather protective of him. If she were to hear others speaking ill of him openly, she would not hesitate to speak out and defend him, especially after his death. However, just as Laurène began to recover from her grief, disaster struck once more. Louis Alexandre Chrétien, Prince de Lamballe, and heir to the house, passed from a heart defect at the tender age of 24. Laurène was disheartened and felt at a loss for a significant amount of time, though she viewed it best not to display such feelings publicly. Rather, she handled it through praying and seeking guidance from her personal family chaplain, speaking with those close to her on some of her grief, and eventually coming to terms with the loss and understanding that she must move on in order to care for her House and family. Laurène, now one of the wealthiest woman in the realm through her inheritance of the Cardinal, threw herself into decorating her apartments at Chateau d'Argenteuil and Chateau de Saint-Etienne. Using the highly expensive materials of silver and bronze, she also exhibited her wealth by donating extensively to charity for a time being to cope with her losses. Shortly afterward, Laurène arranged for her second son, Louis Charles Emmanuel Marie, to marry Constance-Émile de Rohan, descended from the princely Rohans and the ancient Breton nobility. Additionally, Mademoiselle de Rohan was the second daughter of Laurène's sister, Raphaëlle. All was well for a period of time, with her first grandchild, Louis-Jean Thibault, being born in late 1759. However, after her son left for a grand tour of Europe and returned in 1760, he was deemed an alcoholic. This was far different from the quiet, shy boy that had arrived at court in 1758. With this, Laurène's relationship with her son became increasingly strained, even more so when Laurène's husband died in 1763 and Charles took the title of Monsieur le Prince and Duc de Penthièvre. Additionally, Laurène's favorite daughter, Anne Clémentine, Mademoiselle de Chartres, made a quick descent into insanity. This further complicated Clémentine's planned match to the Prince de Condé. Throughout all of this, she was still extremely close with Mademoiselle de Clermont, who in turn was Laurène's favorite confidante and largest supporter. Surintendant de la Maison de l'Impératrice Laurène's relationship with Marie Catherine d'Espagne was consistently ceremonial and filled with polite courtesies. Their paths crossed during small exchanges, though nothing that would imply that they were close or spend time together out of personal desire. In fact, upon Catherine's arrival to court, Laurène and her sisters had found her ugly, boring, and dull. However, upon Marie IV's passing in 1757, Catherine, previously Madame la Grande Dauphine, took the title of Queen-Empress Consort of all Grandelumiere. Upon Catherine and her husband, Louis XIV's ascension to the throne, it was made clear that Catherine held considerable influence with the King-Emperor, even sitting in on council meetings herself. Laurène, always an intriguer, took note of this. Soon, Laurène could be seen calling on the Empress, and taking tea with her. Catherine, never extremely popular at Argenteuil due to her "cold Spanish disposition", greatly appreciated the effort put out by one so popular at the Imperial Court. The relationship was greatly supported and encouraged by her uncle, Cardinal de Mortemart, who wished to see his family stay in power, even after his death. Rumors flew that Laurène wished to imitate her uncle as the "apple does not fall far from the tree", in the words of the Comte de la Motte. Laurène's new favor was stopped though, by the illness of Cardinal de Mortemart. After he became increasingly ill and retired from court, Laurène left to l'Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, and made periodic visits to Chateau de Reuil, where the Cardinal had retired. During her respite from court, she often exchanged letters with the Empress, detailing her days. Laurène believed this wise, as as the senior princesse du sang, ''she knew she had an image and position to keep up at court, along with the fact that she wished to keep her favor with the Empress. After her uncle passed and an appropriate period of mourning, Laurène returned to court. Upon her return, Laurène found that she spent most of her time with the Empress, furthering her relationship with her greatly. To mark the Empress' favor with Laurène, she appointed her Surintendant de la Maison de l'Impératrice, the highest rank possible for a lady-in-waiting at Argenteuil. This appointment was controversial: the office had been vacant for over twenty years because the position was expensive, superfluous and gave far too much power and influence to the bearer, giving her rank and power over all other ladies-in-waiting and requiring all orders given by any other female office holder to be confirmed by her before it could be carried out. The last holder had been Marie-Eloise Seraphine de Penthievre, Madame la Princesse, otherwise known as Laurène's mother-in-law. Seraphine de Penthievre had retired from the post, after being given the prestigious post of First Minister. Laurène, though of sufficient rank to be appointed, was regarded as too young, which offended those placed under her, but the Empress regarded it a just reward for her friend. Shortly after this appointment, the Spanish ambassador, the Duc de Beja reported to Carlos III d'Espagne that "''Her Majesty continually sees Madame la Princesse in her rooms...This lady, is never far from intrigue and such worries. The Empress has conceived for some time a real friendship for this Princess, and the choice is far from excellent, for she is a Mortemart, and is wholly and completely identified with the interests of Cardinal de Mortemart and his abundant nieces. I have taken the precaution to point out to the Empress that her favour and goodness to Madame la Princesse are significantly excessive, in order to prevent abuse of them from that quarter." The office of Superintendent required that she confirmed all orders regarding the Empress before they could be performed, that all letters, petitions, or memoranda to the Empress were to be channeled through her, and that she entertain in the name of the Empress. The office aroused great envy and insulted a great number of people at court because of the precedence in rank it gave. It also gave the enormous salary of 80,000 livres a year, and because of the condition of the state's economy and the great wealth of Laurene, she was asked to renounce the salary. When she refused for the sake of rank and stated that she would either have all the privileges of the office or retire, she was granted the salary by the Empress. This incident aroused much bad publicity and Laurène was painted as a greedy imperial favorite. She was openly talked about as the favorite of the Empress, and was greeted almost as visiting royalty when she traveled around the country during her free time and had poems dedicated to her. Laurène continued to perform her duties; she hosted balls in the name of the Empress, introduced debutantes to her, assisted her in receiving foreign royal guests, and participated in the ceremonies around the birth of the Empress' grandchildren and the Empress' annual Easter Communion. By now, her relationship with the Empress was extremely close. They both held similar opinions on matters, which is why conversation and maintaining a close relationship was natural for the pair. Due to openly being known as a favoured courtier of Her Majesty, she exerted much power among the court, and was given much liberty in her actions. Spending most of her time with the Empress, they often shared tea and went on walks while they discussed most matters. Personality Laurène's wit was greatly admired. Throughout her career at court, she developed it. Her wit was so well known that some courtiers trembled in fear of being pronounced "dull" or "boring" ''by her. This wit was also exemplified in the notable ''Espirit Mortemart. ''As time wore on, Laurène and her sisters also became increasingly bitter. Often bored at Argenteuil, Laurène enjoyed playing practical jokes and spending time with her isolated circle. Laurène was also incredibly domineering, haughty, and proud. Extremely proud of her Rochechouart lineage, she often looked down upon various courtiers who came from ''"humble beginnings". For instance, although her marriage gave her the status of princesse du sang, she looked down upon the Penthièvres due to their house only existing for a short time. Additionally, her opinions on various matters varied, such as her piety and political leanings. Laurène was also very ambitious, and often used court intrigue to accomplish her numerous ambitions. At the end of her court career, she was victorious in this goal; having the ear of the Empress, who in turn had the ear of the Emperor. Appearance ' Upon Laurène's arrival to court, she was declared one of the most beautiful women at court, if not the. Moreover, she was the most attractive niece of Cardinal de Mortemart, compared only with Gabrielle. Her skin was extremely pale, marked only by two natural beauty spots on her upper cheek, and one above her lip to one side. Her hair was naturally blond, and was compared to a ''"a golden halo, as if standing before an angel", in the words of Mademoiselle de Clermont. When unpinned, it would fall in tresses down to her waist. With age, it darkened to a light brunette, though it did not lose it's voluptuousness or volume. Another coveted feature were her warm, hazel eyes, which were charming and vivacious. Of average height, about 5'5, she made up for lack of height in wit. Always curvy and plump, although eight pregnancies did have their affect on Laurène, she masked it significantly well with particularly tight corsets. Throughout her career at court, she was always heralded as a court beauty. Though she was displaced in the affections of the court men, she would always retain her beauty and elegance, even with the arrival of her first wrinkles. Issue With her husband, Louis Chrétien de Blois de Penthièvre, she would have several children: * Louis Alexandre Chrétien de Blois de Penthièvre, Prince de Lamballe (24th December 1734 - 13th February 1758) * Louis Charles Emmanuel Marie de Blois de Penthièvre, Monsieur le Prince (29th January 1737 - Present) * Anne Marie de Blois de Penthièvre, Mademoiselle d'Amboise (7th November 1738 - Present) * Anne Clémentine de Blois de Penthièvre, Mademoiselle de Chartres (21st June 1739 - Present) * Louis Michael de Blois de Penthièvre, Duc de Lorraine (21st June 1739 - Present) * Anne Thérèse de Blois de Penthièvre, Mademoiselle de Lorraine (2nd December 1744 - Present) * Louis Chrétien de Blois de Penthièvre, Comte de Toulouse (23rd June 1745 - 27th June 1745) * Miscarried Girl (1st May 1747) Titles, Styles, and Honours * '''20th July 1710 - 15th February 1734 ''Mademoiselle de Mortemart'' * 15th February 1734 - 26th November 1757 ''Son Altesse Sérénissime,'' Madame la Duchesse, Princesse de Carignan (Madame de Carignan) * 26th November 1757 - 24th April 1763 ''Son Altesse Sérénissime, Madame la Princesse, Duchesse de Penthievre (Madame de Penthievre)'' * 24th April 1763 - Present ''Son Altesse Sérénissime, Madame la Princesse Douairière, Duchesse de Penthievre Douairière'' * "'La Mortemarette" '(Note: Not a style but a nickname given her by contemporaries) Category:House Blois de Penthievre Category:18th Century Births Category:Grandelumierian Nobility Category:Imperial Court Category:Imperial Household Category:Princes du Sang Category:House Rochechouart de Mortemart